Either of these applications will help maximize your sales opportunity pipeline so you can start generating bigger commissions.

Remote inventory query
When you're in a meeting or on the road, having instant access to your home office and, more specifically, your inventory can make the difference between leaving a client with a signed contract or a dubious handshake.

Marietta PDE
To look up prices and availability of your product, you need Marietta PDE by Marietta Systems, Inc at http://www.rf-tp.com. It's the quintessential inventory application, virtually the only one on the market right now. This is a total package containing many pre-built applications, which are ready to be customized to your specific requirements without programming. It performs high speed downloads from your desktop PC for all your inventory reference files.

The Marietta PDE software's database engine can impressively handle files with thousands of records. It's compatible with Symbol SPT 1500/1700, an inventory tool, which includes a scanner and paper tape printer that attaches directly to your device. The database includes fields for salesman order entry, office order entry, inventory, proof of delivery, and product returns.

Presentations
Having a dynamic, on-the-spot presentation with the aid of a handheld can help seal crucial deals.

Flip Chart
For this need, I recommend Flip Chart by Middle Cross Software at http://www.middlecross.com/flipchart.html. It lets you create interactive flip chart presentations without any programming or scripting. I've been able to put together presentations including text, charts, and graphics en route from one client to another, customizing my message. It's flexible, giving you impromptu responsiveness that never looks impromptu. It's pictured in Figure B.

FIGURE B

Flip Chart lets you create an interactive presentation.

Flip Chart uses text slides you can flip through one at a time, or you can use "hot spots" to change what the presentation shows next. You can create slides on your non-color Palm handheld that will display in color on a Palm IIIc (and vice versa). You can beam your Flip Chart presentations to clients who request it or to coworkers who admire your work. The actual files created by Flip Chart are very small, so they can be emailed anywhere. Don't worry about your charts getting changed; you can lock and password-protect your charts. You can plan out a presentation with variables for customization and format the information you want to share to fit your company's personality.

FireViewer
In your Flip Chart presentation, you can integrate images powered by FireViewer by FirePad at http://www.firepad.com/products/viewer/index.html. FireViewer is highly rated by Palm, Inc., including Platinum Certification. FireViewer supports video, larger-than-screen graphics, HTML, and hyperlinks for wireless users. It converts JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) and GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) images into crisp graphics for display on your handheld. You can zoom in and out of huge photos, diagrams, or maps like the one shown in Figure C.